Congrats to Tim Hiller

I got the text around 8:30pm on Saturday night, it was from a friend who happened to be diehard Indianpolis Colt fan. She said Tim Hiller was a Colt.

I wasn't sure if I was being teased by a homer Colt fan or if this was the real deal. That would be too perfect of a fit for Tim. The possibility of being able to learn & mentor under arguably one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks ever in Peyton Manning. What an opportunity.

A quick check of the internet gave me all the confirmation I needed. Tim Hiller was indeed an Indianapolis Colt.

Tweets and texts were sent, Facebook statuses were updated....and blogs were written. That's how news travels now.

So, Tim will report to Colt rookie camp this weekend and hopefully he'll grab a spot on their roster.

As I watched the final round of the draft yesterday, I saw the Colts had 2 late picks....and thought to myself, "self...just who is the Colts backup QB?"  I knew lifetime backup Jim Sorgi had moved on to the NY Giants, so the possibility of the Colts drafting Hiller seemed good.

I was even more encouraged when I remembered that when I traveled to Bloomngton, IN to watch Tim and Western Michigan play Indiana, some Colt bigwigs were watching from the press box.  I had hoped they would remember Tim's solid 2nd half performance against IU and file his name somewhere in their memory bank.

No dice on being drafted, but according to this article, something about Tim hit their radar.

Now that the formalities are out of the way, let's work on getting a Hiller Colts jersey.  Numbers 1, 4, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17 & of course Manning's 18 are already taken per the Colts roster.  Hiller's college number of 3 is available, so I'd assume that's what he'll go with.

Through the magic of customized jersey sales on NFL.com, you can have your own Hiller #3 jersey for just $100 (plus shipping, of course).  See below.

I know we may be getting the cart before the horse a little, but excuse a guy for being excited at the prospect of an Orrville kid making an NFL roster.

Most teams keep only 3 quarterbacks on roster, and Indy has 4 now with the addition of Hiller.  The other two besides Hiller and Manning are Curtis Paniter (Purdue) and Drew Willy (Buffalo).  Neither is a lock as backup or 3rd stringer....so Tim has as good a chance as he could ask for.

I'm so proud that a young man who has worked so hard on and off the field to put himself in a position to succeed has seen it pay off.

Tim's success at WMU was around the same time that I began writing this blog, so I've written about him a lot, even doing an interview with him last year.  He's always been gracious and respectful to my requests for a moment of his time.  So not just because he's an Orrville guy, but because he's truly humble and thankful for the opportunity given to him.  It's nice to see good things happen to good people.

I last saw Tim over at the Canton Fieldhouse before the Newton Falls, took a moment to say hi and moved on.  Maybe the next time I see him, he'll be under center in a National Football League game.

Congrats Tim.  Great day for the Hiller family and a great day for Orrville.  A Red Rider is in the NFL.